But 645 of these were unexpected follow-up visits, made by patients within seven days of their first appearance – around eight per cent.

The total excludes planned follow-ups and those for which the exact nature of the visit is unknown.

Dr Simon Walsh, emergency medical lead at the British Medical Association, said: “Higher re-attendance rates are indicative of wider pressures on the entire health service, as the lack of staff and beds, alongside capacity issues within primary and community care services, can lead to a surge in demand for urgent care.

“We need to see investment and resources reach the frontline to alleviate pressure on services, and ensure that patients can get the care they need at the time they need.”

Across England, around 1.7 million A&E visits were recorded in June. Of these, about 139,000 were unplanned follow-ups within a week of a patient’s first attendance – around eight per cent.

This was the highest rate of unplanned re-attendances in June since comparable records began in 2013.